Combined track and field events are competitions in which athletes participate in a number of
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
events, earning points for their performance in each event, which adds to a total points score. Outdoors, the most common combined events are the men's
decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...
and the
women's heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...
. Due to stadium limitations, indoor combined events competition have a reduced number of events, resulting in the
men's heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...
and the
women's pentathlon
The pentathlon or women's pentathlon is a combined track and field event in which each woman competes in five separate events over one day (formerly two days). The distance or time for each event is converted to points via scoring tables, with ...
. Athletes are allocated points based on an international-standard points scoring system, such as the
decathlon scoring table The scoring tables for the decathlon have undergone continual evolution since their inception about a century ago, with several changes to both the character of the equations and the indices on which the equations are based.
Early decathlon tables ...
. Other longer combined events do exist, such as the
icosathlon The icosathlon, also called the double decathlon, is an ultra multi-event of track and field competition consisting of 20 events contested over two days. There is an extra rule, that each day should contain a pause of one hour. Mostly the competitio ...
(double decathlon) for men and the
tetradecathlon
The tetradecathlon is a 14-event form of athletics. The International Association for Ultra Multievents (IAUM) is in charge of it and runs the World Championships for it alongside the Icosathlon. The event is also called the double heptathlon. The ...
for women. Indoors, both men and women compete in the tetradecathlon, with slightly different events to the women's outdoor version.
Various combined events
See also
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IAAF World Combined Events Challenge
The World Athletics Combined Events Tour (formerly IAAF Combined Events Challenge and World Athletics Challenge – Combined Events) is an annual series of combined track and field events meetings, organised since 1998 by World Athletics, with he ...
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European Cup Combined Events
The European Combined Events Team Championships is an annual track and field competition for European combined track and field events specialists, with contests in men's decathlon event and women's heptathlon. It is organised by European Athletics. ...
*
Icosathlon The icosathlon, also called the double decathlon, is an ultra multi-event of track and field competition consisting of 20 events contested over two days. There is an extra rule, that each day should contain a pause of one hour. Mostly the competitio ...
Notes and references
External links
Decathlonat
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
web site
Heptathlonat
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
web site
{{Portal bar, Athletics
Track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
Athletics by type